Thanks for the compliments. Here is the parts list:
1 Dovetail rail
http://www.thorlabs.com/thorProduct....Number=RLA0600
1 Rail Carrier
http://www.thorlabs.com/thorProduct.cfm?partNumber=RC1
1 Construction Post
http://www.thorlabs.com/thorProduct.cfm?partNumber=TR3C
2 Post end clamps
http://www.thorlabs.com/thorProduct....rtNumber=RA180
1 ¾” post
http://www.thorlabs.com/thorProduct....rtNumber=TR075
1 1” post
http://www.thorlabs.com/thorProduct....rtNumber=TR1.5
2 Spring thumbscrews
http://www.thorlabs.com/thorProduct.cfm?partNumber=TS25
This company is a laser hardware supplier so their prices are a little steep because of the precision engineering. I am sure good fabricators in their machine shop could custom make their own parts for much cheaper. The dovetail slider and carrier are the big ticket items, but they work very well due to their size. It will be interesting to see other people's ideas on how to come up with a sliding mechanism. I through around the idea of a modified drawer slider or even a surface bolt.
Here is how the dovetail slider is mounted to the underside of the ashtray housing. It is screwed in with lockwashers and is pushed as far towards the opening of the ashtray assembly as possible. This is a LMC ashtray assembly that I took the plastic side sliders off since the LCD screen wouldn't fit otherwise. I am pretty sure that a stock ashtray assembly would work just fine.
It is a 6" rail, so it sticks out behind the ashtray assembly several inches, but even with an aftermarket AC system, I don't have any problem with interference. The cabe in the picture is the LCD connection.
More to come...